INSECTS Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

insects

noun

plural of insect

as in shrimp

a person of no importance or influence the magazine's editor in chief was notorious for treating staffers as insects, often not even bothering to learn their names

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of insects Chemical pesticides can become less effective over time as insects develop resistance, while identifying and eliminating all breeding sites can be challenging, especially in urban environments. —

Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 2 June 2026 The stress test escalated quickly and Vendo refused requests for edible insects, firearms, even marijuana (legal in Arizona). —

Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 June 2026 Health inspectors observed several small dead roach-like insects along the can storage area. —

Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 June 2026 The golden blooms will not only add cheer to your garden, but marigolds help keep pests away and attract helpful insects like pollinators and predatory ladybugs that feed on aphids. —

Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 1 June 2026 The insects can carry Pierce’s disease, a bacterial infection that is often fatal to grapevines, according to the USDA. —

Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 31 May 2026 Consequently, a quick spritz of water from your hose will send these insects flying. —

Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 31 May 2026 For the past few weeks, swarms of the diminutive insects have been seen flittering en masse through parks and backyards across the Bay Area. —

Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 26 May 2026 Yet several other experiments conducted on fruit flies in low-Earth orbit suggested the insects’ larvae had a higher death rate in that environment than on Earth. —

Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 26 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for insects

Noun

Consider a dashboard that shows applications, including keys and libraries; network traffic protocols and ciphers; hardware, such as HSMs and TPMs; and third-party dependencies, including cryptographic or software bills of materials.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
As zonky cross-generational ciphers go, the group’s debut, Strictly 4 the Scythe, is no Hypnotize Camp Posse, the amalgam of Three 6 Mafia and a grip of artists signed to their Hypnotize Minds label in the early 2000s.

— Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2026